Chaminade has been fortunate enough to add three new teachers to its faculty. These teachers are Mr. Thomas O’Connel ’15, Mrs. Marcela Lopez, and Mrs. Tamar Chicavich.
Mr. Thomas O’Connell ’15 – Timothy Stoeber ’26
Growing up just down the block from Chaminade High School, Mr. Thomas O’Connell ’15, one of Chaminade’s newest teachers, had always dreamed of coming to Chaminade. “My dad would always point to the school and say this is where you’ll end up one day if you want to be successful,” reflected Mr. O’Connell. Shortly after being accepted, it was obvious to Mr. O’Connell that Chaminade would be his home-away-from-home.
Sports were a key part during Mr. O’Connell’s time at Chaminade. He played football, basketball, and lacrosse for all four years of high school. After graduating in 2015, Mr. O’Connell attended the University of Maryland where he majored in finance and continued his lacrosse career for another four years. He then studied sports management and played basketball at St. John’s University for his fifth year. Although sports are important, Mr. O’ Connell makes it clear that they are not everything. He remarked on the importance of finding your interests through clubs and the other opportunities that Chaminade has to offer.
The sense of family and community that he felt as a student brought Mr. O’Connell back to Chaminade as a teacher and coach. He hopes to provide quality help and guidance for his students and athletes, just as he received while attending Chaminade. He advises students to “embrace their common struggles throughout their day-to-day life, because it will pay off in the future.”
In addition to being a physical education teacher, Mr. O’Connell is the coach of the JV basketball team. Known as “Coach OC,” he is tasked with preparing his players for the varsity level. He encourages players to be aware of who they are. This involves fine-tuning their strengths and improving their weaknesses. Mr. O’Connell believes that having team and individual “blueprints” are critical for each player’s personal development and team chemistry. Having Mr. Thomas O’Connell back at Chaminade as a teacher and coach is a win-win situation.
The Chaminade family is delighted to welcome you, Mr. O’Connell. Thank you!
Mrs. Marcela Lopez – John Tarpey ’25
Upon her arrival in the U.S., Mrs. Lopez started teaching Spanish part time in New York City. There, she fell in love with the language and decided to pursue it further, so she attended LIU, where she majored in Spanish education. Following her tenure there, she went on to teach Spanish at the Academy of St. Joseph and later on at St. John the Baptist High School.
Recently, Chaminade launched a new program in the Spanish department. The program is known as “Spanish for Heritage Speakers.” Mrs. Lopez said, “This was the main reason why she wanted to teach at Chaminade” as she wanted to share her experiences with the students and be proud of the heritage.
As her opening year at Chaminade approaches the home stretch, she is very happy working here. She says that Chaminade is a great place to work at because the students are motivated and express great interest in learning. Her favorite part about the school is the spiritual part, which she states played a huge role in coming to Chaminade to teach. As Mrs. Lopez continues her teaching career here at Chaminade, we wish her the best of luck and are happy to have her as part of the staff.
Chaminade is beyond excited for you to be here, Mrs. Lopez!
Mrs. Tamar Chicavich – Aidan Comerford ’24
Another one of the newest teachers at Chaminade is Mrs. Tamar Chicavich. Mrs. Chicavich attended high school in Egypt at the Cairo American College which is located in Cairo. Cairo is in fact the capital of Egypt located along the Nile river. She graduated from highschool in 2000. During her time at Cairo American College she participated in Varsity volleyball, Varsity basketball and Honors softball when it came to sports. Mrs. Chicavich participated in many extracurriculars that include the Honors Choir, Model UN, Student Council and Community Service.
After attending High School, Mrs. Chicavich found herself at a very prestigious college, Rice University. Here she majored in Environmental Science, Engineering and Studio Art. During her time at Rice, Mrs. Chicavich founded Rice’s Chapter of Engineers Without Borders, Catholic Students Association as well as participating in club volleyball. Mrs. Chicavich then attended MIT to complete her masters in Engineering. Mrs. Chicavich also found herself working for the Peace Corps as a Rural Health and Sanitation Volunteer in El Salvador and a Water Engineer in Uzbekistan. She is also fluent in Spanish and can speak intermediate Uzbek.
Mrs. Chicavich was drawn to working at Chaminade because “Chaminade is a unique community that molds young minds into leaders. Through sharing my international experiences, I hope I students will see key environmental issues from a global perspective and also see that every environmental issue has a human face drawn on it.” Mrs. Chicavich is inspired to work here everyday in this way: “I love how at Chaminade I get to share my faith and teach a subject that I am passionate about to smart students.”
Welcome to Chaminade, Mrs. Chicavich!
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